Nutrition

Nutrition emerged as a prominent theme in 51% of the stories analyzed, and also in Zambia’s Selection Committees. When discussing Nutrition, individuals emphasized dietary diversity, and most frequently mentioned the types of foods they wished to incorporate into their diets, including meat, fish, vegetables, and eggs. While there was a focus on utilizing income to improve dietary habits, there was also a recognition of the vital role played by agriculture (both crop and livestock production) in ensuring nutrition and food security. Food security was a prevalent theme in stories, particularly in Ethiopia, where 70% of the overall references to Food Security were found. The prevalence of the Food Security theme in Ethiopia could reflect frequent concerns about food security, or simply that farmers were more familiar with the term "food security" in Ethiopia. This could be due to the significant investment in food security initiatives in the country such as the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) which is orchestrated by the government and involves a wide range of NGOs and donors. Similar to the general Nutrition theme, stories that expressed a desire for improved food security also mentioned desires for increased production and the use of improved seeds and other inputs, reflecting the interconnection these respondents see with Agricultural themes. Across geographic regions, nutrition was spoken about as connected to the overall health and well-being of families.